Nerves
by TouchOfViolet
Summary: Oneshot:: Duncan and Courtney have some news to share with her parents. But, well, Duncan's never been too good with words - so, he compensates. He's never been one to really think things through, either.


**Disclaimer**: I wish I owned it, but I don't.

**Summary:** Duncan and Courtney have some news to share with her parents. But, well, Duncan's never been too good with words - so, he compensates. He's never been one to really think things through, either.

Thank you Jordan for the beta!  
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**Nerves  
**by: Touch of Violet

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Duncan was nervous.

And that wasn't something he often admitted to himself.

But he was really, freaking nervous.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and held his breath. Sure, he was nervous – but that didn't mean he had to _look_ nervous. So, he sighed, and leaned back on the brown couch he was sitting on, putting his right ankle on his left knee. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest he was sure the girl sitting next to him could hear it. But, if she could, she didn't mention it.

She didn't look any calmer than he was. She was sitting, straight as board on the very edge of her seat next to him. Her dark eyes were staring at the wall across the living room, unfocused. She was chewing on her bottom lip as if it were a piece of gum.

Duncan reached out and put his hand on hers. Courtney turned her head and gave him a weak smile. "It's going to be okay," he said, with more confidence than he felt.

A delicious smell wafted into the room and they inhaled its comforting scent. "Cookies?" Duncan asked his girlfriend.

She nodded, that same weak smile on her face. "Mom's a nervous cooker."

Duncan's blue eyes darted around the room. He sat up and leaned towards her. "Do you … do you think she knows?" He whispered.

Courtney shrugged, biting her lip again. "She might think something is up. Probably not _this_, but something."

Duncan sighed again and forced himself to take a nonchalant posture on the couch, his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing down. Normally, he never felt nervous at Courtney's parents' home. Hell, he had spent more time there with them, eating their food during Courtney's senior year at high school then she had. Courtney's mom even called him, "Son." And not just every once in a while. All the time. Like she didn't even know he had another name.

Now, her father, on the other hand, didn't like Duncan, and went out of his way to tell Duncan so. But Duncan had never felt threatened enough to stop showing up at their house, eating their food, and dating their only daughter. He figured that was just Martin's personality; the dude was a freaking district attorney for God's sake. He made a living out of putting people in jail. It would be weird if Martin didn't threaten Duncan within an inch of his life.

Tonight was different though. Tonight, her father really had reason to fulfill each and every threat he had given to Duncan.

In fact, he wouldn't be living up to his fatherly duties if he didn't at least maim the rebel a little.

And the worst part was Duncan didn't have a single thing to justify it. There was nothing he could say to fix it; there was no way he could make it right for Courtney. And that, more than the wrath of her father, is what scared Duncan the most.

The door to the living room squeaked and Duncan's blue eyes snapped open. An older man in an expensive suit and carrying a briefcase entered. He gave the pair of them a surprised smile.

"Hi, Daddy," Courtney greeted, standing up to hug him.

He put his briefcase down and returned the hug. "Hello, sweetheart. To what do I owe this unexpected surprise?" He held her out at arm's length, green eyes looking her up and down.

She smiled weakly and motioned at a recliner. "We, um, we have an announcement. Do you want to sit down?"

Courtney's father turned his eyes on Duncan, a worried look flashing across his well groomed face. "Lisa!" He called out to Courtney's mother. "LISA!"

Courtney's mother came running into the living room, almost skidding past the doorway when she tried to stop in her knee high socks. She was a short woman with brown skin and black hair, a red apron tied around her waist. "What is it, Martin? You about scared me to death, yelling like that!"

Martin stared at her. "Our daughter and her boyfriend have an announcement." He stated, a worried tone in her voice.

"Oh," Lisa managed. She smiled at Duncan who was sitting on their couch, still trying to act like he was not nervous, before turning her attention back to her husband. "Well, why don't we listen to their announcement, hmm?"

He glared at her, sitting down in the recliner Courtney had motioned to before. Lisa sat on the arm rest of the recliner next to her husband, smiling at Duncan again. Courtney returned to her seat next to her boyfriend. Duncan took her hand in his and gave a reassuring squeeze.

Martin sighed and sank into his chair. "Well, let's get on with it." He said, prompting his daughter.

She squirmed, and Duncan squeezed her hand again. "Its – it's like this," Courtney began. "We are. What I mean to say is, I am. What I mean is …"

Martin raised his brown eyebrows high on his forehead. "What do you mean, Courtney?"

"I'm pregnant." The words were out faster than anyone expected. Courtney herself gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

There was a long pause and a sudden tension filled the room. The adults stared, wide eyed at the kids; and the kids stared, wide eyed at the adults.

All the saliva had completely and totally disappeared from Duncan's mouth. And though he couldn't quite be certain, he was pretty sure it was reappearing in the palms of his hands, because they were far wetter than they had ever been before.

After what seemed like too long, Martin burst into loud laughter. "I think I need to get my hearing checked, dear," he said to his wife, who was sitting at his side and looking like the wind had just been knocked out of her. "I thought I heard my daughter, my only child, my sweet, innocent beautiful little girl just tell me that she was pregnant." He laughed harder, tears forming in his green eyes.

"Honey," Lisa said, patting his hand. "Honey," she said again.

Martin stopped laughing and looked up at her. "Yeah?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"I – I don't think it's a joke."

His smile faltered. "What?"

Lisa sighed and looked at her daughter. "Have you seen a doctor yet?"

Courtney nodded, squeezing Duncan's sweaty hand. He squeezed back in a simple way to let her know he was still there. "Yes. As soon as the pregnancy test was positive."

"That's good."

"WHAT?!" Martin yelled. The reality of the situation finally seemed to have hit the District Attorney. "You're – you're pregnant?"

Courtney winced at the tone of his voice. "Yes, sir. Eight weeks."

"EIGHT WEEKS!" Martin's green eyes were wide. "How did this happen? I thought she was on the pill." He turned to his wife. "You told me! You said, 'Don't worry, Courtney's on the pill.' You PROMISED me that this wouldn't happen!"

Lisa huffed. "The birth control pill is only 99.9% effect, Martin."

"WHAT?!"

"We just found out last week," Duncan interjected, trying to help in whatever little way he could. Unfortunately, this caused both Courtney's parents to look at him.

Martin cleared his throat and closed his eyes, clearly trying to regain his composure. Lisa rubbed his shoulders in a comforting gesture. When he finally opened his eyes, he stared at Duncan incredulously.

Duncan stared back, setting his jaw. He'd dealt with lawyers before; he was used to the kind of crap they did to get you to confess to things under oath. And while Courtney's father was way more intimidating than any other lawyer he'd over come across, he was still just a lawyer. He was really good though; which is probably why he was a district attorney. And if Duncan was any less of a felon, he might have cracked under the intense, judging stare.

"Well," Martin finally began, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna marry her." Duncan said and then immediately wished he hadn't. Maybe Martin's stare had affected him more than he thought it would. "I mean – not just 'cause she's pregnant. I woulda married her anyway." He couldn't even glance in Courtney's direction. They hadn't even talked about it yet, and there he was, just telling her parents as if he was commenting on the weather.

Martin narrowed his green eyes. "I see. And Courtney, what do you plan to do about Harvard?"

"I'm going to finish my degree," Courtney said, sounding very certain. "Even if it means finding a daycare and getting a job, I'm going to finish my degree and go to law school."

Lisa smiled. "Sweetheart, we'll help you with your finances."

"Oh," Duncan tried to argue, "Really, it's-"

"Duncan," Martin interjected, "I feel like I should say this. I do respect you. I didn't always. I certainly don't like you. But I do respect you, because instead of just moving in with my daughter and mooching off our money, you got a job and you do pay for most of all of your expenses. But my daughter's degree is incredibly important, and no matter how hard you work there is no way you will be able to pay for Harvard. We will help in any way we can as far as school goes, even if that calls for paying for daycare, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep that from happening."

Duncan closed his mouth and tried to glare.

A loud beeping noise came into the room.

"Cookies are done," Lisa announced. She stood up and walked towards the couch. "Come here you two – give this grandmother a hug." Duncan and Courtney stood up simultaneously and Lisa wrapped her arms around them at the same time. "No matter what happens," she said, "We're going to stick together. We're family." She kissed Courtney's cheek and then Duncan's. "We're family," she said again for good measure. "Now, let's go eat some cookies, and plan a baby shower, hmm?"

Lisa quickly left the room, lest her cookies burn, and Martin rose to his feet. He looked at the pair of them, a small smile on his face.

"Daddy," Courtney started, her voice quivering, "I-I'm sorry I let you down."

Martin nodded and left the room.

Her crying was quiet at first, muffled behind her hand. But all at once she fell to the floor in a sobbing heap at Duncan's feet. She shook violently, burying her head in her arms and crying hysterically.

It was in that moment, in that one moment, that everything became clear to Duncan. Her father's silence told the story. Everything, from her goodie two shoes personality, to her perfectionism, to her drive to lead and control everything around her; everything stemmed around living up to her father's expectations, and feeling like she was constantly letting him down. Everything she did was never good enough for her father.

Absolute, pure rage filled Duncan. He had never, in his entire life, been as angry as he was at that moment. He pulled his hands into fists and stormed after her father. He was going to talk to him; he was going to set him straight. He was going to tell him to go back into the living room and comfort his daughter – like a good, decent father would. He was going to tell him that she needed him right now, and that he better get in there and start pouring his guts out. He was going to tell him to tell her that she was good enough, that no matter what she did, no matter what mistakes she would make, he'd still love her, he'd still be proud of her.

He was going to tell him those things.

Really.

But then he saw Martin, standing there, eating a freaking chocolate chip cookie like he didn't have a care in the world.

And Duncan did the only reasonable thing he could've done.

He punched Courtney's father in the face.

Martin fell, sprawled out on the ground, clutching on to his clearly broken nose. The cookie fell, forgotten, crumbling next to him.

And all at once, Duncan wasn't so nervous anymore.

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The End.


End file.
